How to get a Commercial Agent

The best way to get a commercial casting call is to get a commercial agent. Some acting agencies have different acting departments, including a theatrical department for theater, film and TV and a separate department staffed with commercial agents. When you're starting your acting career, it is often easier to sign up with a commercial agent because they are not as concerned with experience as a theatrical agent. What matters the most to them is whether or not you have a commercial look and a good commercial headshot.

Once you sign with a commercial agent, make sure they know what you will and will not do. For example, they shouldn't send you on non-union commercial auditions if you're a union actor.

Also, you may decide you do not want to attend commercial casting calls for low paying jobs. Unlike union commercials, where the actor gets paid residuals every time the TV commercial airs, non-union commercials pay a flat fee, known as a "buyout", that allows the advertiser to run the commercial as often as they want for a set period of time. If the pay is too low, it may not be worth it for you.

You also want to make sure your agent knows your list of "conflicts" (commercials you have worked on in recent years) because you shouldn't attend commercial castings for products you've recently advertised (an example of a "conflict" would be if you had just done a Toyota commercial and your agent sent you on a Honda audition).

Finally, talk to your agent if you don't want to go to some commercial casting calls for moral reasons (for example, if you don't want to do an alcohol commercial).